Explosive-engine.



Patented June 29, 1909.

H. G-RBER, JR.

EXPLOSIVE ENGINE. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 13 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HOWARD GREEK, JR., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

EXPLOSIVE-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Application filed June 13, 1904. Serial No. 212,225.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD GREER, J12, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use' the crank shaft may be received by the latter while it is at the point of its maximum efficiency and the severe shock and loss of energy entailed by firing the whole char e at or near the dead center will be obviatec With these ends in-view, my invention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts by which the said object and certain other objects hereinafter a caring are attained, all as fully described wit reference to the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the said drawing,Figure 1 is a conventional illustration of an explosive engine constructed according to my invention, and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view or conventional illustration of the relative positions of the cranks. a

In this exemplifioation of the invention, I employ three pistons, the piston 1, which is like the ordinary or usual piston employed in the modern explosive engine, the piston 2, which is in the form of a reduced extension formed on or secured to and carried by the piston 1, and the piston 3, which is a piston similar to the piston 1, but arranged o posite the end of the smaller or auxi iary piston 2 and preferably, but not necessarily,

of smaller diameter than the piston 1. The

piston 1, is connected by usual itman 4, to a crank 5, on crank shaft 6, am the piston 3 is operatively connected in any suitable way to one or more cranks 7, 8, .on the crank shaft, the example of such connection shown in the drawing consisting of a piston rod 9 secured to a cross-head 10, and this in turn is connected by rods 11 with the cranks 7, 8, respectively. The crank 5 is set opposite the cranks 7, 8, but less than 180 apart, preferably as more clearly illustrated in. F g. 2, so that the cranks 7, 8,

will be on dead center while the crank 5 is past dead center and at the position of its maximum leverage, and consequently if a single impulse is imparted to the two pistons 2, 3, it will reach the crank shaft in the form of a plurality of impulses at different points in the circumference of the shaft, one at the degree in such circumference upon which the cranks 7, 8, are set, and the other at the degree upon which the crank 5 is set, and hence a large percentage of the )ower acts on the shaft throu h the intcrme iary of one of the cranks while the latter is at or near the point of its maximum efliciency, thereby renr ering available the full leverage of such crank and eliminating from the operation the great shock and wear and tear on the mechanism and the loss of power entailed by firing the entire charge on the dead center, while at the same time the main )iston 1 e is adapted to receive an impulse in t e usual way when it reaches the position of its maxi mum compression, as will be presently explained.

This particular example of my invention, shown in the drawing, is, for the sake of simplicity of illustration and descri tion, a two cycle type of engine in which t 10 charge is received into crank chamber 12, through a guarded inlet port 13, and discharges therefrom when piston 1 descends through a by pass 14, having an inlet port 15 to the main cylinder 16, and a valve 17 to prevent retrograde movement of the gases in by-pass 14 t and back firing, the gases compressed in chamber 12 rushing into cylinder 16 above piston 1, when the latter uncovers port 15,

which is arranged slightly above terminal exhaust port 18 through which the products of combustion escape when the latter is uncovered in the downward stroke of piston 1, as is common in two cycle engines of this type.

The cylinder 16 is provided at its upper end with a downward extension or neck 19 of reduced diameter constituting an auxiliary cylinder 20 for the piston 2, and when the pistons 1 and 2 descend far enough to un cover the port 15 .a partial vacuum will be created between the opposed faces of the pistons 2 and 3, and a ortion of the gases or vapor passing throug 1 the port 15 will enter the cylinder 20 and an extension or cylinder' 21 above the cylindcr20 through an inlet port 22 formed in thesidc of the neck 19, it being understood that the piston 3 rises as the pistons 1, 2, descend during thelower half of the gases in the cylinder 16 are compressed In by the upward movement of piston 1. the practical operation of the invention it is preferable to fire the charge contained in the main cylinder 16, when crank 5 is at or about dead center, or fully up. Hence, when the crank 5 is about to reach the summit of its movement, with the cranks 7, 8, at or about 90 in advance, ignition is produced in the cylinder 16, by any suitable igniting means, such for example, as igniter 23, and circuit closer 25, or any other suitable means. The charge exploded in the cylinder 16 will exert itself solely'upon the large piston 1, causing all pistons to descend and crowding the charge in cylinder 21 into the smaller cylinder 20.

When the piston 3 reaches the position of its maximum compression with its crank 7, 8, down and rounding dead center, and crank 5 at the first quarter of its down stroke, as shown in Fig. 2, ignition is produced in cylinder 20 between the opposed faces of pistons 2, 3, by any suitable means as igniter 24 and circuit closer 25 and although this explosion occurs in a comparatively small chamber it exerts itself over the comparatively 1 extended area of the large piston 3 and causes the piston 3 to pull upwardly on the cranks 7, 8, while the piston 2 pushes downwardly on the crank 5.

The products of combustion may be allowed to exhaust from the cylinder 20 in any suitable way, as through a terminal exhaust port 26, uncovered by the piston 2 when it descends and guarded by said piston and by all other times.

eeaeei an additional packing ring 27, if desired, at This port 26, also may be located slightly below the inlet port 22.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an explosive engine, the combination of three axially alined cylinders of difi'erent diameters, two connected pistons of different diameters in two of said cylinders respectively, a third piston in the third cylinder, a

crank shaft, cranks on said shaft set less than one hundred eighty degrees apart connected to said third piston and to said connected pistons respectively, means for firing a charge in two of said cylinders simultaneously and means for firing a charge in the other one of said cylinders independently.

2. In an explosive engine, the combination of three axially alined cylinders all of different diameters, with the smallest one between the other two, two connected pistons of different diameters in two of said cylinders respectively, a third piston in the third cylinder, a crank shaft, cranks on said shaft set less than one hundred'eighty degrees apart connected to said third piston and to said connected pistons respectively, means for firing a charge in two of said cylinders simulder, a crank shaft, cranks on said shaft set less than one hundred and eighty degrees apart connected with said third piston and With said connected pistons respectively, means for firing a charge in two of said cylinders simultaneously, and means for firing a charge in the other one of said cylinders independently.

. HOWARD GREEK. JR. Witnesses:

F. A. HOPKINS, v M. B. ALLs'rAnr. 

